Courtesy: Ashburton Art Gallery
Saskia Bunce-Rath is one of the resident creatives in the Toi Auaha studios. We caught up with her to talk about all things creative!
How would you describe what you do?
I make intimate embroidered artworks with poetic titles.
What was your most recent project?
Most recently I made a series of hand-built vases (using the coil method) during a residency at Driving Creek in the North Island.
What will you be doing in your Toi Auaha Studio?
I have a few projects in mind! Having a larger space is quite exciting, I’m interested in trying out a free-standing embroidery frame and making a large quilt with embroidered panels.
What project have you worked on that you’re most proud of?
An artwork that comes to mind is the first embroidery I did during my MFA; which was the catalyst for my practice today. I decided on a whim to turn one of my paintings into an embroidery and it created a whole new avenue for my work to go down.
What is essential for creatives to have in their lives?
Curiosity, long stretches of uninterrupted time, strange movies, people who ask you questions you would never think to ask yourself.
What inspires you about Ōtautahi?
A few times a year there is a particular kind of sunset I’ve only experienced in Ōtautahi where the light goes deep yellow and the whole mood of the city is strange and ethereal. I like the hot north wind and everyone complaining about it. I like the memory of the old Ōtautahi I hold in my mind and how it feels like a friendly ghost lying under the new city.
What piece of advice about your creative work has served you well?
You can only make the work you make; you can’t force yourself into being a different type of artist.
What’s the biggest misconception about your creative work?
That embroidery is boring, it’s actually VERY cool and mysterious.
Which Christchurch artists do you most admire?
I’m a fan of Jacquelyn Greenbank, I love how playful her work is and her use of textiles. I also like Richard Elderton’s paintings, they are so deeply felt, the kind of works you could spend a long time with. And my friend Christiane Shortal whose work is intricately detailed, considered and filled with elusive personal mythology.
What artwork/piece of music/performance has taken your breath away?
When I was sixteen our school went on a trip to the Christchurch Art Gallery and I saw Seraphine Pick’s painting Love School, it’s the first artwork that I remember reaching me in a deep way, it moved me to tears and made me understand the kind of effect an artwork can have.
What do you wish you’d have known about creative work when you were younger?
Sometimes having months long breaks filled with ennui is important..
What’s your favourite hidden secret in Ōtautahi?
In the botanic gardens you can see endangered Wollemi pines which are one of the oldest plants on earth, with fossil records dating them back to 90 million years ago!
You can explore some of Saskia’s work here.